The ToneWay® Project: helping people play music


Midnight on the Stormy Deep [core]

'Twas midnight on the 5 stormy 1 deep
My solitary watch I keep
And think of 4 her I left be- 1 hind
And ask if 5 she'd be true and 1 kind

I never shall forget the day
When I was forced to go away
In silence there my head she'd rest
And press me to her loving breast

Oh, Willie don't go back to sea
There's other girls as good as me
But none can love you true as I
Pray don't go where the bullets fly

The deep, deep sea may us divide
And I may be some other's bride
But still my thoughts will sometimes stray
To thee when thou art far away

I never have proved false to thee
The heart I gave was true as thine
But you have proved untrue to me
I can no longer call thee mine

Then fare thee well, I'd rather make
My home upon some icy lake
Where the southern sun refuse to shine
Than to trust a love so false as thine

It’s on Strum Machine!

Play & sing along with Midnight on the Stormy Deep (or any song you type in) in any key, at any speed, with real instrument recordings. You have to see it to believe it.

Play this song on Strum Machine

Available in these books:

Get Started Plus: Core Songs Edition
100 songs and our acclaimed play-by-ear learning method.
Big Print Songs
Over 200 songs.
Family Tradition
The reference manual, with lyrics to 330 songs.
The first two books feature large-print lyrics (20-point type) and include chords, historical info, jamming hints, and more.

...and on these CDs:

Five CDs, 100 songs. Recordings from the Abbott family and their friends.
Listen to sample tracks.

The MP3 collection has all 100 songs on one CD for a discount. See details.


A song from the The ToneWay Mountain Music Collection, which offers lyrics and free Song Clips (recordings for learning the song by ear) for nearly 400 traditional songs, many of which are often heard in bluegrass and old-time jam circles. The ToneWay Project also offers songbooks, CDs, and a free online video series for learning to play music by ear. http://ToneWay.com